2004-2009 Toyota Prius Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Comments

If you have not bought it I would look around longer. Make sure any modifications are documented by the Toyota dealer not to void your warranty. Anything tapped into the hybrid electrical is suspect. It can void your warranty. You should get a great deal on a 2007 right now. Pay No more than invoice. Or wait for the 2008.

Hi lifeisgood8. The Prius that you are interested in probably has a spread of around $2,200 between its full MSRP and its dealer invoice price. Are you being given any sort of dealer discount on it? If not, you should try to negotiate a little bit. I am not personally all that familiar with what the market is like for the Prius right now, but I would think that you would be able to negotiate at least a $1,000 discount if you are in an area that has a decent level of competition. You may be able to get an idea of how much you will have to pay for this car by visiting the following discussion: "Toyota Prius: Prices Paid & Buying Experience".

I don't believe that Toyota is providing any sort of lease support on the Prius in your area right now. As a result, if you were to lease this car through Toyota Financial Services right now, you would have to use its standard lease money factor. The last time that I checked, TFS' buy rate standard money factor for consumers who qualify for its Tier 1+ credit tier was .00285 in your area. What you were told is correct, Toyota's lease program for the Prius is not very attractive right now. Still, I personally would be very hesitant to purchase this car with the intention of holding on to it for a really long time.

First, there are two batteries. The 12V one is a standard lead-acid battery, and will be damaged by being discharged fully (loss of capacity). It sounds like they succeeded in discharging the "traction battery". It's a 208V NiMH battery, and it would be unlikely that this would damage that battery. There are only a few chargers for this battery in the US (one in each "region" I'm told), so they have to bring in that charger and the "expert" who knows how to use it. Remembering that you have a 3 year warranty on the entire car (except for wear items), and a 7 minimum year warranty on the 208V battery, I wouldn't worry that the car was damaged. The local mechanic obviously didn't understand Prius and managed to discharge the battery. He must have "tried real hard" to do so, as the car's system will usually prevent this from happening. Fully discharging the 12V battery is not uncommon however.

I would -require- the dealer to warrant the 12V battery for 3 years as part of the sales agreement due to the potential for damage. Unless they replace it with a new one. That should cover you. Do check to make sure the seat heaters don't work when the car is off and are powered only when the car is in "ready". Otherwise the "mechanic" got it wrong, and needs to fix it.

As I couldn't edit my previous post, here is the completed changed post.

Please, the dealer rep was not "lying". I said the prices weren't changing -much-. And they aren't. Please read more carefully! And please don't call people lyrs. You could say he was "misinformed", for example, if you disagree.

These are California prices:"Standard" model - New "lower cost" base model:$20,950, $1,225 lower than current base price. They deleted cruise control, tonneau cover, heated rearview mirrors, wheel trim ring, and seatback pockets. "This removed equipment from the new standard grade is available in factory option packages." At extra cost, of course. Removing equipment and dropping the price does not, in my book, constitute a drop in price.Package B or HG $23,370 No changes from 2007 ModelPackage C or HK $25,375 Modest drop in price - $40.00Package D or NL $26,075 Same $40.00 drop in price.Package E or NW $27,345 Same $40.00 drop in price.

Touring - Package #6 = Leather and Navigation (I hear it may be the only Touring Package - we shall see) - $27,865 Same $40.00 drop in price.

Some reports say the prices have gone up $150 for each model. YMMV. Either way, no substantial changes in pricing.

I don't understand the necessity of externally charging the 208V battery. The 12 volts battery starts the engine and once the engine is running won't the integrated HV generator charge the 208V batteries?

No, you misunderstand. The 12V battery "boots" the computers, pressurizes the brake system, and closes the relays in the 208V battery box, thus enabling the system to use the 208V, boosted by the inverter, to start the engine, via MG1. It draws a 35 Amp roughly 1/2 sec pulse of current from the 12V battery to get to "ready". Two of them, actually, the first pressurizes the brakes when you put your foot on the brake pedal, and the second occurs when you press "On".

Personally, I find it hard to believe the 208V battery was discharged. I -hope- the dealership was just confused and called for help unnecessarily. The system shouldn't let the 208V battery discharge below about 30% state of charge. It should shut down and not restart after a few tries. Perhaps they had to call for help because they didn't know how to reset it (they have to use the THHT (Toyota hand held tool). I don't know and can't think of how the "mechanic" got to this state. Toyota should hire him to help make the cars "foolproof".

I could not help but notice your comments about the internet divisions. I have not found them to be all that much sharper. They have been quoting me prices that exceed $2500 for a 2007 Prius. If you would like, I can tell you what dealer quoted me what ridiculous price. These were all dealers I asked for a quote on cars.com

Ironically Toyota is advertising a clearance sale on 2007 Prius cars. I have located over 600 Toyota Prius vehicles all over the country. A local dealer in Kingsport, Tennessee, and others, stated that they are not discounting the car at this time--those are their terms.

I would like to know if there is any point to buying a 2007 at more than MSRP when the 2008 will be out soon. Also, I have bought many cars in the past from salesmen, but have never met car sales people like the so-called internet divisions who demand a hefty profit over MSRP across the board. Do you think that maybe the idea that the internet people are easier to deal with is a fallacy?

Any suggestions on rounding up a deal on either a 2007 or a 2008 Prius?

Did you pick up the car in the BAy Area? There are quite a few of them in California. Is the Mercury New in San Jose?

Here are some of the quotes I received yesterday from various dealers within 2-3 hours of Johnson City, Tennessee. :shades:

A dealer from Chattenooga, Tennessee:

In about 5 days, I will have an unsold white 2007 Package #2 with carpet and cargo mats for $24,608. Everything else is pre-sold.

Easely, SC dealer:

Thank you for considering us for your purchase of a Toyota Prius. We pride ourselves in being the only Toyota dealer in the upstate of South Carolina to earn the Prestigious President&#146;s Award last year. We have made that achievement 16 of the last 17 years. You&#146;ll always get a fair price, a friendly staff, and great service after the sale at Toyota / Scion of Easley.

Thanks for the email! I would have to order The Prius you'd want(package #5).Retail is $26,379 and we are not discounting the Prius at this time.I'm not sure ifyou're familiar with Kings Toyota but we are the largest dealer in the Cincinnati region(Ohio,Kentucky,Michigan and Tennessse) so we canget this Prius sooner than a smaller dealership.We sell a high volume of Prius'. Thanks,I'll attach an invoice of a Prius with the package you'd like.

Take a vacation to So Ca and pick one up there. You may get a good deal in Phoenix also. I don't think the dealers in your area do the volume that other parts of the USA do. Dealers up around Washington DC, & Virginia are big on hybrids.

The TMV on a package #5 in San Diego is $24,908, about $800 over invoice.

PSI went to a North Electric school in Johnson City. That was in 1971. Spent 13 weeks there, nice area.

Try this dealer in Asheville,NC. www.jimbarkleytoyota.com. They discount the Prius. I bought my TCH at invoice through Harrelson toyota in Rockhill SC after much haggling. Maybe try them too. Good luck!

I am having the same experience here in northeast Tennessee--the dealers actually want about $2500 over MSRP for 2007 models at a time when Toyota.com is advertising a clearance sale of the 2007s. I also am looking for package 5. Maybe you and I can negotiate for 2 of them at a rock-bottom price--there are many in California.

It is surprising that the dealers won't budge when you consider that the gas prices have been lower for a couple of months, and people may be less anxious to get a hubrid.

Are you getting the quotes on the internet or on the lot? The internet people I have dealt with are not budging. I wonder if I went to a lot or two with the money in hand ready to buy--would they be more ready to budge?

Also, one dealer told me other dealers usually include the destination charge in with the taxes. Anyone had this experience?

North Electric built telephone equipment in a big factory out by Gray Station. They went out of business several years ago. I rented a condo on Boone Lake while I was there. Traveled that whole area on weekends. Put 13,000 miles on a Vega wagon that I rented from Budget at the airport.

Keep trying different Internet sales. Don't accept much over Invoice especially on a 2007 Prius. Using the Internet is far superior to doing it in person. You need to let them know up front you are NOT coming into the store without an offer by email. They will jack you around for a while until they see you are serious. It is much better to be frustrated sitting at home than in a little cubicle at the car dealer.

I had no idea of North Electric. I live near Boone Lake in Gray. It is a beautiful area. 13,000 miles on a rental is quite a bit of miles on a rental. Better a rental than your own car.

I agree with you about what to take and not take on a Prius 2007. I will keep trying different dealers. I sent an email to the Asheville dealer, per the suggestion of someone else (I think), and no response. As far as dealer cubicles go, I get going when they get obnoxious.

I saw an advertised used 2004 Prius with 42,000 miles selling here for $18,000. That seems expensive for a 4 year old car. :shades:

Aren't these cars about $2500 over invoice? Do you think these cars are a good deal? My conscience will not let me pay $2500 for a 2007 when the 2008 are due out in a couple of weeks. What is your reasoning?

I sent his dealership an email on the super white leather and have not received a response all day. :shades:

I have found that the Internet sales people are pretty much Mon-Fri. I have seldom gotten a response in less than 48 hours. They get so many inquiries that it takes a lot of time to answer all the questions. Keep hitting them. Just because they do not have what you want on their inventory does not mean they cannot get it.

Most of these cars are 1k under list. There are no dealer fees. I think if you call them you can cut a little better deal. Keep in mind that dealers in NC pay the SE toyota surcharge of about $700. I thought you said everybody in your area is at list price and you are looking for a better deal. I agree maybe you should wait for the '08 or buy in Tennessee if you can find a better deal as they do not pay the surcharge. The prices Asheville is quoting include the surcharge. It seems as though the better deals are on the Camry Hybrid. They are offering the 50th anniversary at cost if you add the surcharge in. I own this model and love it. Good luck.

I'm trying to buy a Prius in Arizona. The phoenix dealers are starting off a few hundred above MSRP and then coming down to MSRP when I challenge them. Tucson dealers are willing to be $500 under MSRP- but of course, don't have the color/option package I'm looking for.

How do I search dealer inventories in SoCal? And- Where are these dealers that are more than $1K below?

Not sure how you'd search California inventory other than going to the Toyota website, discovering their dealer websites, and then visiting those. Probably they're not totally up to date though. You could send 3 or so emails at a time and ask them, I suppose, through cars.com or whatever. In Oregon, I've been scouting for an option 2 2007 Prius. The dealers started off a bit under MSRP, at about $23300-$23200. They are only going down $100 at a time (tedious, but maybe that's normal?). So now I am down to $22900. Maybe the cars are scarcer in the Oregon & Arizona markets?

Go to Toyota website or better yet Edmunds.com. Put in So. Cal zip code.Then email/call dealers with a FIRM offer. You will buy tomorrow if they will sell @ the price you desire. YEA or NAYFor So. Cal a good zip is 90210 (Beverly Hills). The San Diego area would be good as well. Longo Toyota now has 52 (according to website).Carl

Bought my 2007 Prius yesterday in Northern Virginia where there are numerous dealers, all of which are competing to sell out as many Prius and Camry Hybrid models as possible before the 2007 supply line dries up. I took about 4 hours to shop around on line at three dealers and asked each, via e-mail to give me his best "out-the-door price" on a Package #2 (i.e., including 3.2% taxes, $65 tags, and $289 processing fee). Their OTD prices ranged from $22,154 to $23,018. I added the floor and cargo mats for an additional $181. They threw in an Auto4Life&#153; LIFETIME powertrain service contract for free. Love the car. I'm averaging 46.7 mpg on the first 83 miles I put on it since picking it up yesterday.

Toyota of Greenfield, Greenfield, Massachusetts. You can Google it for contact information. In any event, I would suggest avoiding 3rd party warranties in favor of the Toyota product. You can buy it in a variety of packages with respect to years, mileage and deductibles. The 7 year product seems to be the most Two things to remember:

1. The warranty piggybacks on the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty. So the 7 year extended warranty is for all practical purposes, really a 4 year warranty.

2. You can purchase the extended warranty any time up to the expiration of the basic 3 year warranty.

You can expect to pay around $1000 for a 7 year 100,000 mile 0 deductible warranty which amounts to a $250 premium for the coverage. On the one hand, it seems like a reasonable price for extended coverage. On the other hand, the Prius has an enviable record for reliability and I wonder what percentage of Prius owners ever have to use the extended coverage.

I was told by the dealer that the Platinum provides over and above the bumper-to-bumper 36K warranty. There were items in black that the 36K covered and there were items in red that the36K did not cover but the platinum would cover. Also is the warranty from Mass good in Ca?

If anyone is looking to purchase a car in the Philadelphia, PA area, you should be able to get at least $1800 off the MRSP on a silver base Prius package 4 from Conicelli in Conshohocken (www.conicelli.com). The VIN is: JTDKB20U673282008.Why? They offered me a deal of $800 off the MRSP. I asked if I could put a deposit down to reserve the deal so I could think about it. Well, long story short, they took the $1000 deposit and slipped a non-refundable clause into the paperwork. (Foolish me for not reading all the papers carefully. Buyer beware.) They flat out refused to return my deposit (I think they were particularly ticked that I bought a car from a competitor -for many reasons.) So they made a $1000 without even selling the car. I just wanted to make sure that someone hopefully will benefit from this.